Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts make quick navigation in your Office documents possible. Instead of using the mouse you can press keys to perform the same actions. There are keyboard shortcuts for virtually every navigational and managing option in Office. This document will provide instructions on the most useful shortcuts.

File Operations

Some of the most common operations in Word include opening, closing, saving, and printing. The following table provides the action and the shortcut key command to perform each action.

Action

Key Command (Macintosh)

Key Command (Windows)

To open a file

[] + [O]

[Ctrl] + [O]

To close a file

[] + [W]

[Ctrl] + [W]

To save a file

[] + [S]

[Ctrl] + [S]

To print a file

[] + [P]

[Ctrl] + [P]

To create a new document

[] + [N]

[Ctrl] + [N]

Edit Operations

Editing operations such as cut, copy, paste, and check spelling are also used frequently. You save a lot of time using the shortcut key operations because you are not spending time searching the file menu for these editing options.

Action

Key Command (Macintosh)

Key Command (Windows)

Cut

[] + [X]

[Ctrl] + [X]

Copy

[] + [C]

[Ctrl] + [C]

Paste

[] + [V]

[Ctrl] + [V]

Check spelling

[F7]

[F7]

Bold text

[] + [B]

[Ctrl] + [B]

Italicize text

[] + [I]

[Ctrl] + [I]

Remove text formatting

[control] + [spacebar]

[Ctrl] + [spacebar]

Selecting Text

In order to format text, it must be selected. You can navigate around the document and select appropriate text with shortcut keys. These key commands will allow you to select as much or as little of the text as you need.

Action

Key Command (Macintosh)

Key Command (Windows)

Select all

[] + [A]

[Ctrl] + [A]

Select one character to the right

[shift] + [right arrow]

[Shift] + [right arrow]

Select one character to the left

[shift] + [left arrow]

[Shift] + [left arrow]

Select to the beginning of a word

[alt] + [shift] + [left arrow]

[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [left arrow]

Select to the end of a word

[alt] + [shift] + [right arrow]

[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [right arrow]

Select to the end of the line

[shift] + [end]

[Shift] + [End]

Select to the beginning of the line

[shift] + [home]

[Shift] + [Home]

Select one line down

[shift] + [down arrow]

[Shift] + [down arrow]

Select one line up

[shift] + [up arrow]

[Shift] + [up arrow]

Select to the end of the paragraph

[] + [shift] + [down arrow]

[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [down arrow]

Select to the beginning of the paragraph

[] + [shift] + [up arrow]

[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [up arrow]

Select one screen down

[shift] + [page down]

[Shift] + [Page Down]

Select one screen up

[shift] + [page up]

[Shift] + [Page Up]

Select to the beginning of the document

[]+ [shift] + [home]

[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Home]

Select to the end of the document

[]+ [shift] + [end]

[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [End]

Undo and Redo Options

When making quick adjustments to your document, you may want to undo or redo the most recent action performed. These keyboard shortcuts can save you time by not having to scroll through the Edit menu, or Standard toolbar to perform the action.

Action

Key Command (Macintosh)

Key Command (Windows)

To undo previous action

[] + [Z]

[Ctrl] + [Z]

To redo previous action

[]+ [Y]

[Ctrl] + [Y]

To cancel any action

[esc]

[Esc]

Current File Navigation

Depending on your editing style, you may find navigating through your document via keyboard shortcuts to be faster and easier. When using key commands for navigation, the direction given can be very specific. For example, if you wanted to be at the top of the next page, you can do so by pressing two keys instead of scrolling with the mouse.

Action

Key Command (Macintosh)

Key Command (Windows)

Move one character to the left

[left arrow]

[left arrow]

Move one character to the right

[right arrow]

[right arrow]

Move one word to the left

[alt] + [left arrow]

[Ctrl] + [left arrow]

Move one word to the right

[alt] + [right arrow]

[Ctrl] + [right arrow]

Move one paragraph up

[alt] + [up arrow]

[Ctrl] + [up arrow]

Move one paragraph down

[alt] + [down arrow]

[Ctrl] + [down arrow]

Move up one line

[up arrow]

[up arrow]

Move down one line

[down arrow]

[down arrow]

Move to the end of one line

[end]

[End]

Move to the beginning of one line

[home]

[Home]

Move one screen up

[page up]

[Page Up]

Move one screen down

[page down]

[Page Down]

Move to the top of the next page

[]+ [page down]

[Ctrl] + [Page Down]

Move to the top of the previous page

[]+ [page up]

[Ctrl] + [Page Up]

Move to the end of the document

[]+ [end]

[Ctrl] + [End]

Move to the beginning of the document

[]+ [home]

[Ctrl] + [Home]

Move to the next document window

[] + [F6]

[Ctrl] + [F6]

Move to the previous document window

[] + [shift] + [F6]

[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [F6]

File Navigation

Using keyboard shortcuts, you can open and navigate through other files from the Open File dialog box .

To get inside major sections of the dialog box (e.g., text boxes, pull down menus, and buttons), press [tab]

Navigate through those sections pressing the [left], [right], [up], or [down] arrow keys

To open files or set appropriate option, press [return]/[Enter]

To cancel operations and close dialog boxes, press [esc]

Additional Keyboard Shortcuts

This document discusses a few of the most helpful keyboard shortcuts. However, there are many other keyboard shortcuts available. Office offers keyboard shortcuts for virtually all operations. You can also record and create your own keyboard operation as well. To find out more information about keyboard shortcuts, use the Word Help option.